Machine for bending vehicle-bows.



No. 779,686. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905.

P. R. BROWN.

MACHINE FOR BENDING VEHICLE BOWS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11. 1904.

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Inventor.

' MMC @JMWA Mm No. 779,686. I I PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905. P. R. BROWN.

MACHINE FOR BENDING VEHICLE BOWS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wztnesses Invenioi No. 779,686. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905.

P. R. BROWN.

MAUH INE FOR 'BENDING VEHICLE BOWS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1904.

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2 I 27 Witnesses 26 lnveTflow" I ,..7M. 21 6% 1 4 pfllovneny PatentedJanuary 10, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL R. BROlNN, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR BENDING VEHlCLE-BOWS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,686, dated January10, 1905.

Application filed April 11, 1904. Serial No. 202,625.

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL R. BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for BendingVehiole-Bows; and I do declare the following tobe a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledinthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accomend elevation of the same. .55

panying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, whichform a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicle-bow-bending machines.

The object of the invention is to greatly increase the daily capacity ofan old form of vehicle-bow-bending machine by the addition ofimprovements hereinafter fully described.

The improvements comprise the clamping devices and cooperating parts bymeans of which the stock is held While being carried around the form.Heretofore much time was lost in handling and adjusting the clamps,which rendered the machine more or less impractical.

Preceding a detail description of the invention, reference is made tothe accompanying drawings, of which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of abending-machine possessing my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is an Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached View of one of theclamps.

Throughout the specification similar reference characters indicatecorresponding parts.

The table 1, which is supported on stand: ards 2, has tracks 3, which.support heads 4 4 and 5 5, the latter two heads being movable on saidtracks to adjust said heads 5 5 to proper positions for various sizes orlengths of forms 6. Each pair of said heads provides bearings forremovable shafts or rods 7 and 8, which enter the hubs of segment-gears9 and 10. These shafts or rods 7 and 8 have handles 11, by which theyare removed for the insertion of the former 6, the object of said shaftsor rods being to provide means for holding the form in position duringthe bending operaarms.

tions. The said shafts or rods pass through the sides of the form, asshown in Fig. 2, and thence through the hubs of the segment-gears andinto the hearings in the heads 4 and 5 and are withdrawn when the formis removed. The segment-gears 9 and 10 of each pair are tied together byrods 12 and 13, so that the said gears are moved uniformly.

l4 designates the power shaft, which is driven from any suitablepower-generator by the usual means of belt and pulley. (Not shown.) Thisshaft carries two worm-wheels 16, which gear with worm-wheels 15 15 onshafts 17 and 18, and said shafts have pinions 19 and 20, which gearwith the segment-gears 9 and 10, so that said segments are thus driven.On the shafts 12 and 13, which connect these segment-gears, as beforestated, there are rigidly attached arms 21, said arms constitutingframes which support on their outer ends the lower plates 23 of theclamps. These plates are mounted upon said arms or frames by means ofbosses 24, projecting therefrom and through which rods pass, said rodsalso passing through the ends of the arms 21. The rods 25 are loose intheir attachment with said There is also connected to each of the arms21 cross-bars 22, which support the inner side of the lower plates 23 ofthe clamps. The upper plates 23 of the clamps are guided in yokes 26,which yokes are each connected at one end to one of the bosses 24 by ahingepin 27, so that the clamps may be thrown open, as shown in Fig. 4,after each bending operation. Passing through the yokes 26 are screws28, which engage the upper plates 23 of the clamps, and thus tighten theclamps against the stock 29, said stock consisting of strips of woodwhich has previously been steamed. The ends of a metallic strap restupon the lower clamp members 23 in the operation of the machine, and thestrips of wood or stock 29 are placed upon this strap below the form 6.The upper clamp-plates 23 are then closed or lowered on their hinges tothe positions shown in the several views from that shown in Fig. 4, andan initial tightening of the clamps then takes place as follows in orderthat the metallic strap 30 may be stretched or straightened out to itsfullest length.

31 designates two depending arms, which are hung loose upon shaft 32 andare held normally out of an operative position, as l shown in Fig. 3, bymeans of a rope or chain connection 33, which has upon one end a weight,said ropes passing over pulleys 35. The lower ends of these arms 31project at right angles, and the lengths of said arms are sufficient toenable the angled ends thereof to i occupy a position immediately abovethe upper clamp-plates 23, as shown in Fig. 1, when the clamps areclosed upon the ends of the stock 29. When these arms are moved in suchpostion, the power is turned on to elevate the frames or arms 21sufiiciently to cause the lower ends of said arms to make rigid contactwith the upper clamp-plates 23 and to cause a proper straightening ofthe metallic strap 30. At this point the screws 28 are tightened bymeans of a suitable wrench against the upper clamp-plates 23, and saidclamps are thus made to firmly hold the ends of the stock and themetallic strap. After the clamps have thus been tightened the arms 31are swung out to the positions shown in Fig. 3 to entirely clear themachine, and the power is again turn ed on to complete the movements ofthe segment-gears 9 and 10 to elevate the ends of the stock held in saidclamps up against the ends of the form 6, as shown in Fig. 1 in dottedlines.

36 designates arms which are rigidly mounted at their inner ends on theshafts or tierods 12, which, as before stated, lie between the segmentsof each pair of segment-gears. These arms 36 serve as supports for theopened clamps as said clamps are lowered by the segment-gears after eachbending operation, or, in other words, when the bending operation iscompleted by moving the stock and the strap to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 1 the form 6, together with the stock which hasbeen bent thereon, is removed from the machine, the clamps having beenfirst opened to permit of such removal. The return movement of thesegment-gears causes a lowering of the clamps to their normal positions,as shown in Fig. 1, and during this lowering movement the arms 36 serveas supports until the lowering movements have been completed, afterwhich said arms 36 continue to drop away from the clamps to theirextreme lower positions, as shown in said figure.

The form 6 is provided on each side with hooks 37, which cooperate withanother device (not shown) to hold the bent ends of the stock inposition until the drying process renders said stock in a propercondition for removal from the form.

The form 6 and other devices described in connection therewith-namely,the hooks 37 and the cooperative device for holding the stock in itsbent position are old and well known and it is thought unnecessary tofur- Waese ther describe or illustrate the same... The form, it will beunderstood, occupies a position above the stock 29, the stock, togetherwith the metallic strap 30, being placed upon a plate 38, which occupiesa position approximately in the center of the machine between the heads4 and 5. This plate 38 is supported upon a stand 39, which is on theupper end of a plunger 39. This plunger fits in a socket member 39",through the lower portion of which a shaft 46 passes, said shaft havinga cam 46 thereon which elevates the plunger, and thereby causes thestand 39 to raise the plate 38, with the strap 30 and stock 29, firmlyagainst the bottom of the form to hold the same rigidly. The socket 39,through which the shaft 46 loosely passes, is supported upon a truck 40,and said stand 39 is movable to proper positions to bring it in thecenter of the form. The shaft 46 is turned by a footlever 47 to causethe cam 46' to elevate the plunger.

48 and 48 designate supporting-frames at the ends of the machine, whichsupport the lower clamping-plates 23 when said plates are in theirlowermost positions, and thus the arms 21, which primarily support saidplates, are relieved of the weight thereof at such times. The frame 48is stationary, while the frame 48 is adjustable longitudinally with theheads 5 when the machine is operating with formers of maximum width. Theinner end of the frame is supported on shaft 18. The adjustment isimparted to the heads 5 by pinions41, which are mounted upon shaft 42,the latter being journaled in the lower portion of the heads 5. Theshaft 18 is also supported in said lower portion of the heads 5. Thepinions 41 engage with stationary racks 43, located on each side of themachine below the sides 3 of the frame. The shaft 42 is turned to drivethe pinions 41 by means of a crank 45.

The operation of the machine is briefly described as follows: Themovable heads 5 having been adjusted for the proper length of form 6,the form is placed in position with the stock 29 and strap 30 below itand supported upon the plate 38 and the clamps. The upper or hingedmembers of the clamps are then lowered to inclose the ends of the stock,and the arms 31 are moved to perpendicular positions with the angularends thereof immediately above the outer portion of the upperclamp-plates 23. Power is then introduced to cause a slight, elevationof the clamps, which is effectual in bringing the upper plates 23' inrigid contact with the ends of said arms. During this initial movementof the clamps it will be borne in mind that the arms 21, which supportsaid clamps, move in an arc of a circle to some extent. Therefore theinner edges of the lower clamp-plates 23 have a tendency to tiltinwardly. This movement is arrested by the cross-bars 22. The slight arcmovement thus initially imparted to the clamps causes the strap 30 tolengthen out or stretch to its utmost length. After such initialmovement is imparted to the arms 21 the clamps are firmly tightened tobind the ends of the strap and the ends of the stock by turning thescrews or bolts 28, as hereinbefore stated. Power is then introduced tothe segment-gears 9 and 10 to complete the elevation of the clampsthrough the arms 21 to bend the stock to a perpendicular position at theends of the form 6. The stock is then secured in such position by meansof the hooks 37. The clamps are then opened, the rods 7 and 8 arewithdrawn, and the form removed. The power-shaft 14 is then given areversed movement by suitable clutches (not shown) to run thesegment-gears back to the positions shown in Fig. 1 to thereby lower theclamps.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a machine for bendingvehicle-bows, the combination with segment-gears and means for actuatingthe same, of arms rigidly connected to said segment-gears, barsextending between said arms, a clamp supported upon each pair of saidarms, said clamps consisting each of a lower plate which is supportedupon said arms, and an upper plate which is hinged to the first-namedplate at one end, and depending arms above said clamps which makecontact with the clamps in the initial movements thereof, substantiallyas set forth.

2. In a machine for bending vehicle-bows, the combinationwithsegment-gears and means for actuating the same, of a frame connectedto each of said segment-gears, said frame consisting of arms which arerigidly connected to the segment-gears by means of transverse rodsinterposed between said segment-gears, said arms being united at theirouter ends by crossbars, clamps supported on said frames and hingedthereto, arms rigidly connected to said segment-gears below the clampsfor supporting the clamp-frames when the latter are being lowered, anddepending arms mounted above the machine and adapted to be brought to aposition to engage the clamps in the initial movement of said clamps,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL R. BROWN. l/Vitnesses:

R. J. MoCARTY, C. M. THEOBALD.

